Three
by starofhades
Summary: Where did Kenshin go? Does Kaoru really want to know? When is Saitou going to put his clothes back on? KenxKaoxSai
1. Chapter 1

THREE

Chapter One

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DISCLAIMER: If I were Nobuhiro Watsuki, I wouldn't be writing hentai stories and posting them here, now, would I?

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Kaoru slowly rubbed the towel over her hips, down one leg, then the other. Her muscles felt loose and her skin, still damp and pink from the bath, was so sensitive that the roughness of the cloth tickled wherever it touched her. Teaching and training all morning and afternoon, then an hour spent soaking in water as hot as she could stand it. It had been a perfect day.   
  
And now that Sano was off to the gambling hall and Yahiko had left for the Akabeko to see Tsubame... All she needed to make this a perfect evening was Kenshin.  
  
_Kenshin._ She sighed happily. Even now, five months after he'd confessed his feelings for her, she still blushed when she thought about the things he'd done to her. The things he made her want to do.  
  
_Where is Kenshin, anyway?_ She hadn't seen or heard him since he'd heated the bath for her. Usually she'd hear him lugging the laundry tub around, or he'd stop under the bathing room window to ask if she wanted him to add another log to the fire.   
  
Wrapping herself in a light yukata -- pale lavender, a color she'd taken to wearing ever since Kenshin had mentioned it was his favorite -- Kaoru began to search.   
  
He wasn't in the dojo, although the floor was immaculate: he'd finished cleaning. The laundry was still hanging out to dry, which meant he probably hadn't gone out. He wasn't in the kitchen either, but he'd thoughtfully left a small tray of food for her -- rice balls, radish, pickled ginger. Kaoru smiled at the offering. _Kenshin knew I'd be hungry after teaching all day._   
  
But where had he gone?  The only place she hadn't checked was her room.  _Our room,_ she corrected herself. _But it's pretty early for Kenshin to be in bed._ She giggled as the thought struck her: _maybe he's waiting for me to get out of the bath and join him._   
  
Tiptoeing down the hall, Kaoru made her way to the door of her bedroom. It was closed. She adjusted her yukata so that it bloused a little more loosely over her breasts -- a modest show of cleavage -- then flung the door aside. "Surprise, Kensh-"  
  
The room was empty, their futon still folded neatly and pushed against the far wall.  
  
Where could he have gone? Without telling her? A quick flare of panic spread out through her chest. The last time he'd gone wandering, he'd come to her first, to say goodbye...   
  
A soft sound caught her attention -- coming from Yahiko's room? Kaoru sighed, smiled at herself for panicking so easily. Of course he'd tell her before he went anywhere. _He's probably just straightening up._  
  
Biting back another giggle, she crept down the hallway, as quietly as she could. _He probably knows I'm coming, but knowing Kenshin, he'll pretend to be surprised to humor me. He's so sweet._  
  
As she reached the door to Yahiko's room, Kaoru heard the noise again, a little louder. It sounded like a moan. _Maybe he's napping?_ Lately, Kenshin had been dreaming almost every night, dreams of the Bakumatsu, of the men he'd killed and the people he hadn't been able to save. She'd lie next to him in the early hours of the morning, sometimes stroking his head until he quieted, other times waking him up from the nightmares of his past.  
  
_Poor Kenshin. Someday I'll find a way to save you from these awful dreams._  
  
She slid the door open gently, and there he was... He was...  
  
Kaoru couldn't breathe. She willed her lungs to expand but they remained frozen in mid-exhale.  
  
Kenshin was standing in the middle of the room, naked from the waist up, with his back to the door. His dark red hair was unbound, and it fell to his waist, the ends brushing the waistband of his white hakama. He was breathing heavily, and as he turned his head to look at her, she noticed that his lips, slightly parted, seemed swollen.   
  
Standing next to him, one hand still resting possessively on Kenshin's waist, stood the person that Kenshin had been kissing when she'd opened the door.   
  
_Run. Oh God._ Her feet wouldn't move either. She felt as if she'd been standing here for her entire life, staring at the two of them through a burning haze of tears.   
  
_How can this be happening?_   
  
Kenshin, his face roiling with indecision and guilt, took a step toward her. "Kaoru-dono."  
  
_Breathe. Breathe breathe breathe._ Kaoru swayed as the dizziness washed over her. _I'm the one who's stuck in a bad dream._  
  
Kenshin's mouth moved again, but he made no sound. He was clearly at a loss for words.  
  
Kenshin's nearly-naked lover, on the other hand, suffered no such difficulty.  
  
"Hello, Tanuki Girl." Saitou Hajime retrieved his uniform shirt from the pile of clothing on the floor and fished a cigarette out of the chest pocket. "Have a nice bath?"

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Author's Note:  
  
I read a Kenshin-Saitou fic and for some reason the image of a threesome popped into my head -- I'm writing this story to get that picture out of my head! :) So if you're the kind of person who might be scarred for life after imagining Kaoru in bed with Kenshin and Saitou, STOP READING NOW.   
  
Having said this, once I decided to write this one, I wanted to see if I could do it and keep all three of them in character for the entire story. Might be impossible, but bear with me, ok? I'll do my best.   
  
I know this is a silly fic, but it's still practice for me -- so if you do have suggestions for improving my writing (pointing out cliches, awkward phrases, stilted dialogue, etc.) I would love the critique.  
  
And sorry, I know it's evil of me to stop there, but my fanfic writing time is my daily commute on the bus, so if I can't write it in a 45 minute sprint, it has to wait until the next day. More coming soon!

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	2. Chapter 2

THREE

Chapter Two

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DISCLAIMER: If you're still reading this story, you're probably already jaded enough to be aware that I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or any of the characters created by Nobuhiro Watsuki.

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"Please..." Kaoru rasped, unable to force out more than a rough whisper. "Please don't smoke that thing in here."  
  
_Please don't smoke that thing in here? Am I completely crazy?_ But at the moment, it was easier to object to Saitou smoking than to the fact that she'd just caught him kissing Kenshin. _I'm such a coward._  
  
Saitou put the cigarette back into his uniform pocket, amber eyes alight with amusement. He was wearing nothing but a fundoshi. Kaoru realized she was staring but she couldn't look away: his body was so different from Kenshin's. Where Kenshin was slender and wiry -- almost delicate -- Saitou's lean frame was solidly muscled. His chest was wider than Kenshin's, his shoulders broader, his arms and legs more powerfully built. Usually when Kaoru was around Saitou -- _when he's wearing clothes_ -- she was aware of how small her own body was. But now there was a part of her that was wondering what it would be like to touch the tight muscles of his stomach, how those long, tapered fingers would feel resting on her waist.   
  
_Great. I'm not just crazy, I'm a pervert too._  
  
Saitou raised one eyebrow and smirked at her, but said nothing. _He knows I was staring._ Kaoru hastily averted her eyes. _Is it possible to die of embarrassment?_ She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, then back again. _And is there any chance I could manage to do it right now?_  
  
No such luck.  
  
Kenshin was staring too, but not at Saitou. "Kaoru-dono..." he began.   
  
Seeing Kenshin kissing someone else had been awful. That this someone else had been Saitou was even worse. But to see Kenshin like this... so heart-sick...  
  
_Say something, Kenshin. Say "I'm sorry," or "It's over," or even "Oops." Say something so I can get mad at you._  
  
"Battousai." Kaoru started at the sound of Saitou's voice. "Your woman is still afraid of me." The tall man sighed, and for a moment Kaoru thought he looked disappointed.   
  
_Why is **he** disappointed with **me**?_ Outrage finally freed her from her state of paralysis, and she glared at Saitou. _I don't know why I'm not mad at Kenshin, but I have no problem being mad at you._   
  
"You...! I... I'm not afraid of you!" Kaoru pulled her hands up into the full sleeves of her yukata, hiding them so that Saitou wouldn't notice they were shaking. "How... how dare you! And... aren't you married?"  
  
Saito shrugged. "Tokio has her own amusements."  
  
"Amusements?" Kaoru choked on the word. "I didn't even know that Kenshin was... that he... liked men."   
  
Kenshin moaned and fell to his knees, covering his face with his hands. Kaoru saw him drop out of the corner of her eye, but strangely, she felt safer railing at Saitou than confronting Kenshin right now.  
  
Saitou folded his arms over his chest, drawing Kaoru's attention once again to the fact that he wasn't wearing much more than a smirk. "Did you ever ask?"  
  
No, of course she hadn't. _Why would I?_   
  
"Think about it, Tanuki Girl. The Battousai hasn't exactly had a lot of luck with women."  
  
Kaoru blinked, suddenly confused. "What do you mean?"  
  
Kenshin, still kneeling on the floor, groaned. "Saitou..."  
  
Saitou glanced down at Kenshin, and his smirk took on an affectionate quality. "From the age of five, he lived alone with Hiko, you know. Not a lot of women living that far away from Kyoto." Saitou shrugged again, and the fluid movement of his shoulders sent a distracting flutter through Kaoru's belly. "Kenshin probably didn't even see a woman again until he was fifteen, when he left Hiko to join the Ishin Shishi."  
  
"Saitou..." Kenshin twined his fingers into his hair and pushed it back away from his face. "Kaoru-dono doesn't--"  
  
"And in Kyoto -- well, for men like us, even if we'd had the time and money to court a decent woman, most of them wouldn't have had anything to do with a man whose life was soaked in so much blood. Even the prostitutes--"  
  
"Prostitutes?" Kaoru felt the heaviness settle back into her chest. _Keep breathing. _  
  
Kenshin shot to his feet, scowling. "All right, Saitou, I think..."  
  
"--they could be risky. Aside from the question of whether or not the woman was clean, you also had to worry whether she might be spying for the other side."  
  
"Saitou. That's en--"   
  
_Prostitutes?_ "But Kenshin was married," Kaoru protested. "Tomoe--"   
  
"Tomoe only agreed to marry him as a cover for their real identities. And most of the time they were together, she was plotting to betray him."  
  
"I didn't care," Kenshin broke in. He began to pace, back and forth across the polished wooden floor. "I loved her anyway. She would have--"  
  
"And then there's you, Tanuki Girl -- he seems to just about worship you." Saitou leaned forward a little, looming over her. When Kaoru didn't flinch, he took a step closer and smiled wickedly. "I have no idea why."  
  
"Saitou!" Kenshin roared, his narrowed eyes flashing amber. He was breathing heavily, his chest slick with sweat, and he'd moved into a half crouch -- _a fighting stance,_ Kaoru realized. The fingers of his right hand were flexing, as if they ached to wrap themselves around the hilt of a sakabatou that wasn't there.   
  
"You're. Not. Helping."  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Help me out, y'all -- review and clue me in:  
  
a) Are Kenshin, Kaoru, or Saitou OOC at any point in this scene? Let me know where, so I can learn from my mistakes.  
  
b) What part of this scene did you like best? Tell me what I'm doing right, so I can do more of it in chapter three. :)


	3. Chapter 3

THREE

Chapter 3

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DISCLAIMER: I'm sure Nobuhiro Watsuki would be embarrassed by the suggestion that he might have written this ridiculous little piece of citrus.  
  
(Or in other words, this is fanfic and I don't own Rurouni Kenshin...)

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"Kaoru-dono." Kenshin straightened, his chest heaving as if he'd just finished running a great distance. Although his voice softened when he spoke her name, his posture had shifted subtly -- shoulders squared, knees slightly flexed, his center of gravity in careful alignment, ready to move in any direction without hesitation. Even as the hopeless ache settled into her stomach, the kendoka in Kaoru's head watched with admiration. _How does he do that?_  
  
When Kenshin became the Battousai, his detachment was almost tangible -- in a way, he was more present, he radiated power -- but he moved through his surroundings as if he had no connection to anything other than his sword. No connection to the ground, no connection to the things around him, no connection to the person he was fighting.   
  
_No connection to me._  
  
Even though Kenshin was standing no more than three feet from Kaoru, she knew that she couldn't reach him now.  
  
Across from Kenshin, Saitou knelt, still wearing that intolerable smirk. His eyes met Kaoru's, and the smirk widened into an arrogant grin. _He wanted this,_ she realized. _He was baiting Kenshin. He was baiting both of us._  
  
"You!" Kaoru launched herself at Saitou, fists first. "You bastard!"  
  
Before she'd taken more than two steps, strong arms closed around her waist, held her impassively, without warmth. Kenshin. Through the sheer silk of her yukata, she could feel the muscles in his chest and stomach tense as she struggled to break free. _I could be a total stranger to him right now._ She twisted violently in his grip, not caring that he'd see the tears streaming furiously down her cheeks. "Dammit, Kenshin, let me go!"  
  
Kenshin just stared back at her, patiently, and Kaoru felt the last of her control snap. She brought her foot down hard on his instep, then dug her elbow into his ribs, as hard as she could -- a technique that he had shown her, she remembered bitterly. But he showed no pain, merely tightened his arms, immobilizing her. Another time, she would have wriggled against him, playing with his hair or licking the gentle curve of his jaw, trying to tease him into letting her go. _Or holding me tighter._ Now…  
  
"Kenshin… Kenshin, let go…" She pushed against his chest, his shoulders, his arms, but she couldn't get any leverage. It was like pushing against a tree: nothing gave. _He's not much bigger than I am. How can he be so much stronger?_ His face was expressionless except for a slight tension at the corners of his mouth. "Kenshin…"   
  
He didn't move, but something in him shifted, and suddenly he was open to her again. Anger. Fear. Regret. Grief. And an overwhelming sense of relief. She felt his hands tremble slightly against her back, and she fell against him, resting her forehead against the damp skin of his shoulder.  
  
_Is this the last time I'll ever touch him?_  
  
"Kaoru-dono." He lowered her gently to her knees, then sat beside her. "Please."  
  
_Please, what?_ She rubbed her sleeve over her face, smearing tears across her cheeks. The silk still held traces of warmth where it had been pressed against his body.  
  
A few feet away, Saitou knelt comfortably on the floor and watched them intently. Strangely, he wasn't smirking any more.   
  
_He saw._  
  
And then, the surreal thought -- _he's still not wearing anything but his fundoshi._   
  
Saitou didn't seem to be self-conscious at all, in spite of the fact that he'd just witnessed the most hideous moment of her entire life, and worse, that he'd been sitting there casually in his underwear while it happened.  
  
_So why am I the one who feels naked?_ The sash of her yukata had come loose while she was grappling with Kenshin. Kaoru yanked the thin strip of silk tight around her waist, tucking the front of the yukata back into place and securing it with a firm knot -- as if by covering up her exposed flesh she could somehow hide her humiliation.  
  
_When this is over,_ she promised herself, _I'm going to kill Saitou with his own sword._

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Kendoka - someone who practices kendo  
  
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Ok, now for the pop quiz:  
  
A) How was the emotional tension in this scene? Was there any point where it didn't feel real?   
  
B) What was your favorite moment in this chapter?  
  
Tell me what you think so that I can do better in chapter four!   
  
  


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	4. Chapter 4

THREE

Chapter Four

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DISCLAIMER:  If I owned Rurouni Kenshin and the characters created by Nobuhiro Watsuki, you can bet that Kenshin wouldn't have died in the OVA.  And instead of all those filler episodes, the last third of the TV series would have been an animation of the Jinchu arc.  And finally, Saitou would have been in at least one 'hot springs' episode!  

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"Kaoru-dono."  Kenshin was completely still, as if he were afraid that by moving suddenly, he might startle her.  "Saitou is right."

"Saitou is..."  She stopped herself, irritated that she had numbly repeated his words back to him. _ I should ask him -- I should say -- what?_  Nothing seemed appropriate, but he was waiting for her response.  "What is Saitou right about, Kenshin?"  

He seemed to be holding his breath, and for a moment she wondered if he would get up and leave, walk out of the room as he'd tried to walk out of her life twice before.  But instead, he lowered his head, his unbound hair slipping forward to curtain his eyes.  "Aren't you mad at me, Kaoru-dono?"

_Mad?_  She was shocked -- although she had occasionally resented Kenshin's friendship with Megumi, it had never occurred to Kaoru that he might be attracted to another man.  And she was frightened that this might be the end of their relationship.  Kaoru thought about the kiss that she'd interrupted:  Kenshin up on his toes, his hands pressed against the bare skin of Saitou's chest; Saitou with one hand tangled in the softness of Kenshin's hair.  She was jealous, and she wasn't sure whether she was jealous of Saitou or of Kenshin.  _Maybe both._

_What's wrong with me?_

"Kenshin..."  Kaoru waited for him to raise his head, but he continued to stare at the floor.  _Look at me, dammit_.  "Kenshin, why?"

Sighing, Kenshin bowed formally to her, like you'd bow to a stranger that you'd offended and whose reaction you were unsure of.  "What I have done is inexcusable.  I have no defense.  I am sorry, Kaoru-dono."  Then he stood, turned away from her.  Over the gentle scraping of the wooden door against its frame, she heard him whisper, "Please forgive me."

* * * * * * *

"You weren't such a coward then, Battousai," Saitou taunted.  In spite of the fact that he was seated and Kenshin was standing, Kaoru had the impression that Saitou was looking down his nose at the younger man.  "I remember a time when you would've stood your ground no matter what the threat."

Kenshin turned stiffly to face Saitou.  "I have dishonored Kaoru-dono.  I cannot continue to stay here and --"

"You're running," Saitou interrupted.  "You're afraid of what the Tanuki thinks of you now, and you're leaving so you don't have to hear it."

Kenshin stood in the open doorway, motionless except for a slight trembling in the muscles of his jaw.  "She doesn't know what it was like," he objected.  A shiver ran through the muscles of his naked chest, as if the trembling in his jaw had spilled down into the rest of his body.

_Saitou's right,_ Kaoru realized.  _After all we've been through, Kenshin still doesn't trust me enough to talk to me about his past._

"Maybe you should tell her," Saitou suggested.

"Yes," Kaoru ground out through clenched teeth.  "Tell me."

Kenshin shook his head.  "She wasn't there, she couldn't un--"

_Kenshin isn't listening to me.  He still won't even look at me.  As far as he's concerned, this is about the good old boys of the Bakumatsu making decisions for everyone else.  _

And suddenly, she **was** mad.  

Furious.  

Enraged.  

Really fucking pissed.

"DAMMIT, KENSHIN!"  The anger thrummed through her, so strong that she was vibrating, every muscle in her body tightly clenched.  "Just.  Tell.  Me."

"I...  I don't know where to start," Kenshin protested.

_Why don't you start with the part where you're fucking Saitou?_  Kaoru bit down on her lower lip in an attempt to bring her temper back under control.   

"Kenshin, at least tell me -- why Saitou?  You and Saitou were..."  She'd been about to say 'enemies,' but when Shishio was plotting to topple the Meiji government, the two men had worked together to stop him.  She recalled the image of their bodies pressed together, the sound of Kenshin moaning while she searched for him in the next room. _ They definitely aren't acting like enemies now._  "...rivals?"

Reluctantly, Kenshin stepped back into the room, knelt beside her once again.  "Kaoru-dono, during the Bakumatsu it was safer to trust your enemies than your friends.  An enemy was just someone who wanted to kill you.  A friend was much more likely to betray you."

Kenshin glanced at Saitou, who simply nodded.  _No baiting, no rude comments, not even a smirk.  What is Saitou up to?_ Kaoru wondered.

Kenshin sighed and returned his attention to Kaoru.  "Most of the Ishin Shishi were afraid of me.  I would spend days shut up in a room by myself, waiting for one of Katsu's men to deliver that slip of paper with the name of the person I was supposed to kill.  All I thought about then was the revolution.  About how many more men I would have to kill before it would all be over."  His voice dropped to a ragged whisper.  "It's never over, Kaoru-dono.  It'll never be over."

_The dreams,_ she realized.  _He's killing them all again in his dreams.  Poor Kenshin.  _Kaoru started to reach for his hand, instinctively moving to comfort him as she did whenever he dreamt of the past.  Her fingertips brushed the back of his hand -- his skin felt cold and damp, not like Kenshin at all.  _He gets out of bed every morning, but he's still stuck in the nightmare._

Kenshin didn't acknowledge her touch, didn't react at all.  "I killed them as quickly, as cleanly as I could," he continued, "for my sake as well as theirs, but -- no one wants to die, Kaoru.  Even the most unskilled would struggle."  

"I used to look forward to facing the Shinsengumi.  At least I knew that it would be a fight with integrity."    

"And -- after I began to doubt -- I searched for an opponent who could defeat me.  Saitou is the only one who ever came close.  The only one who could touch me."  His gaze shifted to the dark-haired man, and Kenshin's eyes reflected a longing for something Kaoru knew she didn't want to give him.  _Forgiveness? Peace?  No, something more final.  Oblivion.  _

"Kenshin, when..."  Kaoru's throat closed, and she couldn't ask.  _I don't want to know how it happened, or how long it's been going on, or if there were others,_ she realized.  _The only thing that matters is..._  "Do you love him?"

Kenshin looked startled.  "What?"

"Do you love Saitou?"

Kenshin hesitated.  "I...  I love both of you.  It feels different when I'm with him, but..." 

Saitou snorted with amusement, but Kaoru glared at him, and Saitou choked back the laugh.  

Kenshin blushed before continuing, "...but it's still love."

"How is it different?" she asked.

"You love me in spite of the fact that I was the Battousai, Kaoru-dono."  Kenshin smiled, so sadly that Kaoru almost forgot she was angry with him.  _Almost._  "Saitou loves me because I was the Battousai."  The smile widened, but somehow it just made him look more miserable.  "That's why I have to go."

Why does it always end with '...and that's why I have to go?'  Kaoru inhaled deeply, ignoring the flutter of nausea that threatened to expand outward from the pit of her stomach.  What do I have to do to get you to say '...and that's why I want to stay?'

"But you just said that you love me," she argued.  _I'm not quite ready to think about the fact that you just said you loved Saitou, too._

"Kaoru-dono, you're so pure."  

"Pure," she echoed.  Her fists were clenched in her lap, so tightly that her knuckles ached.  _If you knew what I was thinking right now, you wouldn't call me pure._  

"In spite of everything that's happened to you, you're still an innocent..."  

Another time, the pained expression on his face would have called tears to her own eyes.  Now, she found it... _infuriatingly self-absorbed._  

"...and I don't want you to be the one who took that away from you." 

"Ken-shin! You're saying that you'll hate me if I accept you as you are and you'll leave me if I don't?"  Her nausea spiked -- _when did it get so hot in here?_ -- and the air was thick like syrup.  The fine silk of her yukata scraped against her skin, and every where it touched her, she burned.  "That's not fair."

"The Tanuki's right, Battousai," Saitou agreed.  "It isn't fair.  To either of you."  

_Oh shit.  _Kaoru gulped at the air, straining to take in a full breath._  I know I'm in trouble when Saitou is the reasonable one._

"But... but... aren't you mad at me, Kaoru-dono?" Kenshin asked again, in a pleading tone. _ It's guilt_, she realized.  _He wants me to be angry with him._

_Not a problem._

"Yes, I'm mad at you!" Kaoru screamed.  "How can you even think leaving without asking me how I feel?  I'm can't believe that after all we've been through together, you still don't trust me enough to talk about your past.  And I hate that there are things you'd tell Saitou that you'd never tell me."  The rawness in her throat felt good. _ It should hurt to say such awful things. _  "Just tell me what I have to do to be dirty enough to love you."

"Kaoru-dono!  That's not--"  

"I want all of you, Kenshin, good and bad.  I don't just keep you around to do laundry, you moron."

"But--"

"Maybe I don't care how many people you've killed.  Maybe I don't care that you want to have sex with Saitou."

"Kaoru-dono, it's not--"

"Maybe I'd rather share you with Saitou than lose you." 

"Kaoru!"

_Not Kaoru-dono.  Just Kaoru._  She smiled bitterly.  _Finally. _ 

* * * * * * *

Ok, we're almost to the fun part...  help me become a better writer and let me know what you thought of this chapter:

1) Did the interactions between all three characters work?  This scene was mostly Kenshin and Kaoru -- was it jarring when Saitou spoke up?  Or did it fit the flow of the scene?

2) What was your favorite moment in this scene?

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	5. Chapter 5

_**THREE**_

_**Chapter Five**_

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_****_

_**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or any of Nobuhiro Watsuki's characters -- but if you're reading this, Watsuki-sensei -- I'll trade you for a turkey sandwich and a juice box. No? Not even if I throw in a chocolate chip cookie? Wait... Come back... I have sour cream and onion potato chips!**_

"Share me with Saitou?" Kenshin whispered.  
  
_Oh crap. Did I really just say that?_  
  
"Kaoru, you don't really mean it."  
  
Did she? Did it matter? _I just told Kenshin that I don't mind if he has sex with Saitou. It's not like this could get any worse, right?_  
  
"Kenshin... I've shared your heart with Tomoe all these years, and she's not even alive." Kaoru was careful to keep her voice even, her tone casual. "At least I know I'm prettier than Saitou."  
  
Saitou laughed, and the sudden loudness of it startled her. _I've never seen him smile before,_ she realized. His cheekbones were still sharp, his nose still angular, but the smile softened the tension around his eyes and rounded the line of his jaw.  
  
"Are you sure, Tanuki Girl? Do you realize what you're getting yourself into?"  
  
Kaoru glanced at Kenshin. Kenshin wasn't smiling. He was studying her the way he'd study an opponent, searching for the opening that would reveal her motives, allow him to predict her next move. _This intensity: this is what it's like to have the Battousai's undivided attention. I can almost understand how he and Saitou could go from enemies to lovers._ The only other time Kenshin had ever looked at her like that was when he was inside of her. Kaoru squirmed, crossing her arms over her chest to hide the sudden hardening of her nipples.  
  
The movement triggered something in Kenshin, and he leaned back, the corners of his lips twisted downward into a skeptical frown.  
  
_He doesn't think I'll go through with it._ Kaoru squared her shoulders and forced herself to meet Saitou's gaze. "Yes. I'm sure."  
  
Saitou's smile broadened, and he turned his attention to Kenshin. "What about you, Battousai?"  
  
Kenshin's eyes narrowed, the frown becoming a scowl. _I just let him off the hook for kissing Saitou behind my back. Shouldn't he look happier than that?_ Kaoru wondered. _Is there something else I don't know?_  
  
"What about Kenshin?" Kaoru asked.  
  
"You said you're willing to share Kenshin with me," Saitou licked his lips slowly, as if he'd just eaten something delicious and the flavor still lingered. "I'm wondering if he's willing to share me with you."  
  
_What?_ Kaoru bit her lower lip. Being shared by Saitou and Kenshin. _I will not think about what that could mean._ "But..."  
  
"What's the matter, Tanuki?"  
  
"I..." _Is he serious?_ Kaoru imagined the warmth of Saitou's hands pressing against her back while he kissed her like he'd kissed Kenshin, slow and deep. _Can Saitou tell what I'm thinking? Can Kenshin?_ She forced herself to adopt a neutral expression, but she couldn't stop the heat that boiled out from her navel, engulfing her entire body. _I'm blushing so hard my toes are probably pink. Kaoru, you pervert. How can you sit there and think about kissing Saitou while Kenshin is watching? Even worse, how can you be excited by it?_  
  
_How did I get to the point where I'm even considering kissing Saitou at all?_  
  
Kaoru peeked up at Saitou through the fringe of her bangs. There was a flicker of disappointment in his eyes, then that familiar smirk returned. _How many times have I mistaken that smirk for arrogance instead of recognizing it for what it is -- armor to protect him against the sting of rejection?_  
  
"I thought you said you weren't afraid of me, Tanuki."  
  
"I'm not," Kaoru protested. She'd said it before, but this is the first time she'd meant it.  
  
"Why don't you prove it?" Saitou challenged, patting the tatami-covered floor in front of him.  
  
"Saitou! Kaoru-dono, you don't have to--"  
  
"Stop calling me Kaoru-dono!" When she'd first met Kenshin, Kaoru had found his formality charming, but lately, it seemed to be just another way that he distanced himself from her. "I hate it."  
  
"And you!" She pointed an indignant finger at Saitou. "I am not a tanuki!"  
  
"True." Saitou's fingers closed around her wrist and Kaoru felt herself being pulled off balance. As she began to fall forward, Saitou hooked one arm under her legs, slipped the other around her waist, and pulled Kaoru up into his lap.  
  
_Oh no._  
  
Saitou slid his hand up the back of her calf and began to trace tiny circles over the sensitive skin on the back of her knee. His eyes -- she usually thought of them as amber-colored, but they were really quite unusual -- a ring of dark brown around the edge of the iris, a wider ring of lighter brown around the pupil, with yellow-gold flecks. His pupils were wide in the fading light of early evening. He looked... _Feral._  
  
"Kiss me, Kaoru-chan."  
  
_Oh yes._  
  
Kenshin was on his feet now, fists tight at his sides. "Stop it, Saitou!" He took a step closer. "Stop it right now."  
  
Saitou chuckled. "Finally figure out what you want, Battousai?" Without taking his eyes off of the red-headed man, Saitou moved his hand an inch higher up Kaoru's leg and tickled. She gasped, arching her back as she shifted to escape from Saitou's fingers. The sudden movement caused her yukata to gape a little, exposing the tops of her breasts.  
  
"Saitou..." He tickled her again, and she giggled, wiggling against him. "Saitou!"  
  
"Saitou--" Kenshin said in a pleading tone. "She's never... She's..."  
  
"What, Kenshin?" _A few minutes ago you were the one kissing Saitou, and now you have the nerve to tell me I can't?_ "Go ahead -- what am I?"  
  
"Kaoru," Kenshin said gently. "Is this what you really want?"  
  
"You're jealous." Kaoru said. Kenshin blushed. His fingers flexed nervously: open, closed, open, closed.  
  
"Are you jealous of Saitou, or are you jealous of me?"  
  
"I have no right to be jealous," Kenshin admitted.  
  
_But you are._  
  
Saitou carefully parted the folds of Kaoru's yukata to reveal the top of her thigh, his fingertips brushing her skin as the silk slid away. He slid his hand slowly down the length of her leg -- thigh, knee, shin, ankle, down to the arch of her foot -- and back up again. "It's up to Kaoru whether she wants to kiss me or not, isn't it Kenshin?"  
  
"Yes," Kenshin whispered unevenly, as if the word was being forced out of him. He was watching them, his eyes wide, like a mouse who sees the cat coming but can't bring himself to run.  
  
Saitou smoothed his hand up her thigh, over her hip, up along her spine to the base of her neck. Kaoru moaned softly. When he touched her, her body became liquid, and she wanted to pour herself over him.  
  
Saitou leaned forward until his breath fluttered Kaoru's bangs lightly across her forehead.  
  
"Kiss me, Kaoru-chan." He tilted her chin up, bringing his lips to hover a few inches away from her own. "I dare you."

_**I had a windfall of free time this evening, so got a head start on the lemony part of this fanfic. If you've read this far, you've made it through the angst -- it's going to be nothing but sex from here on out. :) Thanks for sticking with it!  
**_  
_**Here comes the pop quiz:  
  
1) Did the dialogue in this scene work, or was any of it stiff or unrealistic? (Was there any point where you were reading and thought 'he/she wouldn't do that!')  
  
2) Did the descriptions of how each character was feeling ring true, or were there any places where it seemed awkward or intrusive?**_


	6. Author's Note

**Author's Note**

Hi, everyone!

I just wanted to let you know that this fic ends with an NC-17 scene (well, three of them, actually, but I'm still working on the last two). This means that I'm not able to post chapters 6-8 here, as this website is limited to fics with an R rating or lower.

If you are an adult as defined by your community and can legally view NC-17 material, you can read the rest of this story by going to Ayla's website (google "ayla adult fan fiction" - her website is the first entry that comes up). On Ayla's website, you can search for stories by Kallipygia, where you'll find the rest of this fic, along with others.

Take care!

Star of Hades (aka Kallipygia)


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